Purple Hearts
by Chibimom
Summary: Clex. SLASH. Clean clothes can lead to a fulfilling relationship.


**PURPLE HEARTS**

by Chibimom

The characters belong to others. I make no profit here.

Rating: R: SLASH

Thanks to my wonder beta, Unhinged, who never lets me down.

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"Hee hee, Tee hee hee." A small Hispanic woman covered her mouth, her eyes shining brightly.

Clark held up the pair of lavender silk boxers with large purple hearts. The fabric fluttered in the would-be gale blasting from the huge fan in the corner of the laundromat. Without thinking, he clutched the shorts to his face and inhaled deeply. The male scent of Lex exploded into his brain.

"Hmmmmmmmm." God he smells good.

More laughter brought Clark back to his senses and he blushed as he pulled the shorts away from his face. Clark tried to appear calm as he checked the care tag on the inside of the elastic. Can you wash silk boxers? Why the hell had Lex left his underwear in his dirty laundry anyway?

"Dry Clean Only..." Clark mumbled. Fuck!

Stuffing the shorts in his pocket, he finished loading the washing machine with everything he had... except the boxers. He knew he was supposed to separate colors from whites, but Jesus! Having clean clothes was expensive. The gleaming porcelain monster was hungry and 16 quarters later Clark closed the lid. His jeans and dark socks had been washed so many times, color no longer leached onto his lighter things.

Clark left the laundry basket on top of the machine to identify it when he returned. Attached to the laundromat was a dry cleaners and he walked through the connecting glass door. A cute, young blonde was behind the counter and she smiled as he approached.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" Her blue eyes sparkled as they roamed up and down Clark's body. A tag announced her name as 'Cheryl'.

"Uhhh, how much is it to dry clean a pair of silk boxers?" Clark pulled the shorts from his pocket, trying not to look at the blonde or the huge purple hearts. He was going to kill Lex!

"Niiice." Cheryl murmured, tapping her pen.

"Excuse me?" Clark looked up, wondering if she meant him or the boxers.

"$7.95 sir." She said cheerfully.

"What? For one pair of shorts?" Clark couldn't believe his ears. He shook his head. "When can I have them?"

"Day after tomorrow." She began to write up the ticket.

"Wait, the sign says _1 Hour Cleaning_." He didn't want to come back in two days. Lex was coming over tonight.

"The one hour service is an additional charge of $4.25 on an item of this size." Again Cheryl smiled at Clark.

"You mean it will cost me $12?" Clark was incredulous.

"$12.20 plus tax. The total would be..." She punched in the numbers on an old Texas Instruments calculator. "$12.98." The bright smile returned.

Clark stuffed his hand into his pocket and came out with $17 in bills and 50 cents in change. Damn! He was supposed to be buying the pizza tonight, and that was the last of his cash until Friday. Lex had bought the last two Wednesdays and Clark had insisted on paying tonight. Would Lex eat a plebeian hot dog and chips from the vendor up the street from his apartment? He could probably spring for kraut too. Fuck! He needed another part-time job... but then he'd never see Lex at all. Sure, he had a great scholarship which included a living allowance, but that barely covered the rent at his run-down place. And he was determined not to take money from Lex.

"Sir?"

Clark was drawn out of his deepest thoughts. "Okay, one hour." He counted out the money and took the receipt. "I'll be next door babysitting my laundry..." He started to leave the counter.

"Sir, I need the garment."

"Oh." Clark released the pair of shorts and Cheryl dropped them in a plastic bag. It reminded Clark of the CSI shows on TV where the investigators put forensic evidence in small bags and say, "Bag it."

Clark checked his watch as he folded his dry clothes. It had been an hour and 15 minutes since he'd delivered Lex's silk shorts for cleaning. A rather large, well-muscled young man now stood behind the counter. He had a name tag that said 'Tad'. His hair was bright red with white tips that stood in spikes on top of his head. The sides of his head were shaved close. He sported about a two days growth of stubble on his cheeks and chin which only made him look younger. Tad's physique was well displayed in an orange muscle shirt with a picture of a long legged naked woman bent at the waist, peering between her legs, winking. Clark winced.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up some one hour dry cleaning," Clark said trying not to stare at the glorious muscles in front of him. Fuck... he could look, couldn't he?

"Got your ticket?" Tad's voice was deep and resonant and sent erotic chills down Clark's spine.

"Uh, yeah." Clark handed the receipt across the counter. Tad brushed his fingers over Clark's as he took the ticket.

Tad smiled slightly, looked the receipt number up on the computer and disappeared behind some black curtains in the back of the store. Clark's knees felt weak and small droplets of sweat broke out on his upper lip. His cock grew hard, pressing against the front of his jeans. This wasn't supposed to happen with anyone but Lex. Quickly, he dug out his cell phone, hit speed dial and adjusted his erection.

"Luthor."

"Hi Lex," Clark's breathing slowed when he heard Lex's voice and his knees regained their rigidity. "I'm glad to hear your voice."

"Yeah?" Lex sounded pleased. Clark could picture him swiveling in his office chair to stare out the glass wall behind his desk.

"Uh, what time are you coming over?" Clark looked up, but Tad was still in the back. Clark groaned as he pressed his hand against his cock.

"Clark, is anything wrong?" Lex asked. "You sound... upset."

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. Can you come early... say around 7:00?"

Pause.

"I don't see why I can't pack up now. I've finished with the important stuff. I can be at your place... say in 40 minutes?"

"Sounds great Lex," Clark sighed in relief. "I really do love you Lex."

Just then Tad appeared at the counter, eyes drifting to Clark's crotch.

"Me too, Clark." The phone clicked off.

Clark pushed the phone back in his pocket and reached for the cleaning package. Fuck! The shorts were folded in a clear plastic bag for everyone to see.

"Your boyfriend's?" Tad asked, eyes gleaming.

"Uh, yeah," Clark said, placing the package on top of his laundry basket. His erection was suddenly a thing of the past.

"He's really lucky, you know."

Clark smiled, "No, I'm the lucky one."

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God, what was that horrendous smell? Lex stepped into Clark's apartment wrinkling his nose. He hung his suit coat on a hook next to the door which substituted for a coat closet in the rat trap Clark lived in. Lex really hated coming here. He was sure the resident mice population danced on Clark's dishes and nested in his glasses. He always took his drinks out of the cans or bottles. When Clark offered a glass, he politely declined, referencing less dishes to wash later.

Knowing he was not smelling pizza, Lex only hoped it was Clark's leftover lunch or better yet, garbage. Yes, garbage would be best. Unfortunately, the sour aroma grew more pungent when Clark entered the small living room from the tiny kitchen.

"Hey Lex," Clark smiled brightly. "I know this is supposed to be pizza night, but I thought we might try something different. Don't want to be caught in a rut!" He set the plates on the badly scratched coffee table.

Did he say rat? Oh... rut.

"Lex, come sit down." Clark gestured toward the couch.

"So, what _is_ for dinner?" Lex asked casually as he slowly approached the smelly offering.

"Umm, hot dogs with sauerkraut. I thought we could try some German cuisine." Clark looked tense. "Oh, chips and I have a few of mom's chocolate chip cookies from yesterday. She brought some to the Planet... wanted to meet some of my friends. Friends! They hardly know me working only a few hours a week.. I managed to hide most of them."

"German... cuisine." Lex pursed his lips. God! There was no way he was going to eat _fermented cabbage_. Clark would just have to order in pizza as usual. "Clark, while I appreciate the spontaneity of tonight's choice, I think we should stick with our usual fare. Why don't I order and you can wrap up your sausages for another time." There. That was diplomatic.

Clark looked crushed as he picked up the plates and walked back into the kitchen. Lex heard the rustling of foil wrap and he sighed in relief. How long would the smell linger? Lex picked up Clark's cell phone and called in their usual pizza order. It would arrive in 45 minutes.

Lex smiled. Time for some serious making-out. He stood to see if Clark needed any help, and heard quiet muttering coming from the kitchen. He walked into the tiny alcove to find Clark leaning over the sink, looking like he'd lost his best friend.

"Clark, what's wrong?" Lex mentally kicked himself for hurting Clark's feelings about the food. "I'm sorry, but if you want German food, let me take you to a real German restaurant."

"Oh, Lex!" Clark turned to Lex and buried his face in his hands. "I _know_ hot dogs and kraut wasn't anything I should have tried to serve you."

Lex pulled Clark's face up to look at him. What was going on here? Obviously much more than some damn hot dogs.

"Lover, tell me... what's really wrong." Lex wrapped his arms around Clark and stroked his back.

"I couldn't afford pizza tonight, Lex." Clark shook and Lex held him tighter. "I had an unexpected expense that used up most of my cash."

"Hey... it's okay." God, he loved this boy. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about. Why didn't you call and I could have picked up the pizza on my way over. Or we could have gone out." There. Problem solved... trauma over.

Clark pushed away. "You don't understand!" Clark was angry now. "You don't know how it feels to barely scrape by on a few hours of part-time work a week. Coming up with a measly $12.98 for some dry cleaning... Hell, you don't even have to _carry_ cash. Everyone in Metropolis knows where to send the bills."

Okay, something was going on that had nothing to do with hotdogs. Clark had run out of money and his pride was deeply hurt. He could understand pride... Luthors had plenty of it. But Kent pride went above and beyond any and all pride. He had to tread carefully.

"Remember when my father threw me out of the mansion?" He traced Clark's jaw with his fingers. "I had nowhere to go, no money either. Believe me, I felt like the lowest scum on the earth. Luckily I had a wonderful friend with a loving family who took me in."

"That was nothing, Lex." Clark's voice hitched.

"It was to me." Lex held him at arms' length. Wait... something else was lurking in Clark's eyes. "There's something else bothering you too. Tell me."

Clark looked down and mumbled something almost inaudible.

Lex strained, but couldn't hear. "Clark, look at me. I can't hear you." He knew something serious had come over the boy.

"Lex... uhh, I cheated on you today." Clark said miserably, his hazel eyes misting up.

Lex dropped Clark's arms. No! His world began to spin and rage rose in his throat. He swallowed. "What did you say?"

"Lex, I got hard looking at another man," Clark hung his head. "I couldn't help it... he was flirting and..."

"You were aroused?" Lex said, reeling in his rampant anger. Clark was confessing his physical reaction to another man? "You got hard? That's all? You didn't fuck him?"

"God no! I'd never do that!" Clark grabbed Lex's face and kissed him deeply. "You idiot! I love you. How could you ever think that?"

"You said you cheated on me..." Lex ran his fingers down Clark's chest and heard the boy moan. He felt the boy's hardening cock against his hip. He loved how responsive his lover was. "Clark you can't help your body's reaction to an attractive guy. That isn't cheating."

"It felt like it was." Clark murmured. But, I never want anyone but you, Lex. Forever."

"Marry me." Damn, what did he just say? He rubbed Clark's erection with the heel of his hand. "Marry me and live with me. You are my whole world Clark."

The doorbell rang. Fuck! Lex pressed his lips to Clark's forehead.

"Don't move." Lex rushed to the door. He grabbed the pizza boxes and threw a $50 bill at the astonished delivery boy. He dumped the boxes on the coffee table and looked around for Clark.

Clark emerged from the bedroom with a small clear package and handed it to Lex.

"Do you know how much it costs to dry clean one pair of lavender silk boxers with large purple hearts?" Clark was grinning now.

"$12.98?" Was that a lot? Lex had no clue. He just knew it was a lot of money to Clark.

"Uh huh." Clark nodded, pulling Lex close. "But I will get my money's worth out of you... if it takes the rest of my life. How much sex will $12.98 buy me?"

"More than you'll ever need."

_**End**_


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